Walking the stage and accepting my (placeholder) diploma
Guess who’s back (back, back)? Back again?! That’s right! You thought you’d seen the end of me but here I am, writing again. If you’re wondering what the the heck I’m talking about, let me tell you.
I started this blog back in September 2017 (a goal of mine since graduating from college) with the intent of blogging regularly about crafting, faith, feminism and general lifestyle topics. I wrote three awesome posts and promoted them on social media. I got some decent traction and I was so excited to actually blog consistently.
Then, after three posts, I stopped. I stopped scheduling and writing posts, stopped posting on social media, and basically gave up.
How did this happen, you ask? I lost my motivation. I came up with a general idea of the types of posts I wanted to create and the frequency of writing, but I didn’t create a plan of how I would achieve that. I assumed that great ideas would just come to me and that I’d be able to write amazing posts week after week without creating a calendar or a goal.
I’ll be honest with you, I was pretty disappointed in myself. I’d told all my friends and family about my new blog and really hyped it up. I set these lofty expectations for myself and then completely fell short of them.
For months I still got notifications for my blog’s Instagram about sparse new followers here and there. I hated even switching to my blog account because it made me feel like a failure.
A few weeks ago I was checking out the website “A Beautiful Mess.” Elsie and Emma are sisters who run this amazing business and blog about lifestyle, beauty, crafting, cooking and more. Their Instagram is AHHHMAZING and they have an equally amazing story.
The #goals homepage for A Beautiful Mess
Looking through their website and reading their posts inspired me to start my blog back up again. I love to write and I know I have so much to tell the world. But this time, I knew I needed a plan. It couldn’t be like last time where I got a random bout of inspiration and started a blog only to drop off after three posts. So I pulled out my brainstorming gear and got to work. Here’s what I did:
I made editorial calendars
My Google Sheets editorial calendar
I created an editorial calendar for blog posts and a social media calendar for all of my social accounts. I did extensive research online for tips, tricks and best practices for starting and maintaining a blog, staying organized and keeping up the motivation.
I started posting on social media almost every day
My Instagram page
Amidst all of the research and planning, I started posting on social media again. I followed other blogs and bloggers and posted as often as I could on Instagram. I interacted with people who commented on my posts and put in a concerted effort to engage with people.
I revamped my website
My new logo (duh)
I made a new logo and added some elements to the site to make it easier to navigate. I chose a consistent color scheme and streamlined it across all of my accounts. I expanded my “About Me” page and added more social account buttons.
And now I’m here to tell you, FINALLY, that my blog is up and running again. You may be thinking to yourself, “Yeah, she says that now, but just wait a few weeks and she’ll drop off again.” Well guess what? I’m here to stay. I’ve planned and organized and this time around I’m motivated and excited to write and post and give you the best content I can.
So welcome, once again, to Curiosity & Grace. I’ll be posting a new blog one to two times a week. I’ll be writing about lifestyle, crafting, faith, feminism, travel and pop culture. And I’ll be writing CONSISTENTLY. That, I can promise you.
What about you? Have you ever tried to start a blog that failed? What did you learn from it?
Yes! Many time! Lol… which is why this time around I’m just doing an Instablog. I don’t have the time to full out blog & I find more joy in photography than writing, so it’s a perfect compromise for me. 💓
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Lol, I feel you! That’s why I’ve had to do so much planning in advance this time to make sure I actually stick with it. But I love your Instablog and I think it’s a great idea! 🙂
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Welcome back to the blog! I need to get myself on a blogging schedule. I have only been blogging a couple weeks, so I’m still trying to get it all figured out.
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Thank you! 🙂 When I first started my blog last fall I created a schedule for myself of posting longer posts every Monday and then “#FridayFeeling” posts on Fridays but that was too much for me and I realized it just wasn’t realistic. Before I officially “relaunched” the blog, I wrote out several posts and created a calendar of posts for months so I wouldn’t get behind and lose motivation! 🙂
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I need to spend a weekend writing so I can get on a schedule. If I could go back I would have waited to launch with at least 10 posts. Oh well, I’ll learn as I go.
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I understand your frustration. I am struggling with this now. I work so hard for my blog and want it so badly to be my career. I literally put hours in and feel like no one recognizes it. It is so annoying and really bring a gal down
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Girl, I feel you! I work on it so much and sometimes it feels like I’m getting nowhere. But if you’re passionate about it, keep it up! I’m not very far along either so I can’t tell you that it gets better from here or that you’ll be super successful, but I just want to encourage you! 🙂
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It’s definitely normal, as with any creative process to go through periods of inspiration to creative droughts. I think it’s good to have a plan, but equally as important to take a step back and come back to something with fresh eyes. I wish you luck in your blogging adventure!
Yasmin 💗
The Sweet Seven Five
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You’re so right – when I decided to start the blog up again I really thought about why I wanted to and gave myself plenty of time to brainstorm content and ideas. And thank you so much! I’m looking forward to keeping up with my blog! 🙂
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I’ve started many blogs that have failed! My current blog is my first *serious* one though, and it’s almost failed many times, but you haven’t failed until you stop trying, so it’s still plodding along slooooowly. I like the way you motivated yourself to get started again, I feel inspired to do the same 🙂
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So right – “you haven’t failed until you stop trying.” I don’t know where this blog is going to take me but I’m going to keep trying. Thanks for sharing! And I’m glad I could share a little inspiration! 🙂
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